Ephemera
by ToshioLuna
Summary: When Kaneki woke up, she didn't expect herself to end up in the future. Especially knowing there's a male counterpart of her.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! This would be my first time writing a fan-fiction, hopefully It won't end up bad or discontinued, because of my lazy self '' hehe. And with all the confusion of learning how to use the text thingy's, hopefully I'll get it down by the week.**

 **Also, the version of the female Kuroneki would be before she discover her kagune, but found out she could drink coffee. So, yes, that means she wouldn't know everyone in Anteiku or at least, not yet. The only person she would remember from Anteiku would be Touka, since she had ran into her from the ghoul side being hungry**.

 **Side note: I don't own any of** **the characters.**

* * *

 _Thump!_

'I swear if it's Hide again, I won't hesitate to throw my books at him.'

Was the first thought that came to the black-haired girl mind as her nose scrunched up in distaste.

The bitterness of metal clung onto the tip of her tongue and her left eye twitched in confusion. Now that she thinks about it, she doesn't remember her bed being this hard, nor rough on the surface, she also couldn't feel the soft fabric of her blankets covering her body; feeling goosebumps appearing along her arms. Confusingly she tried to open her eyes; keyword _"tried"_. It felt like her eyes are metal and couldn't seem to open, her body wouldn't even cooperate with her either; she felt numb.

 _'Am I dead?'_

She panics, her brain suddenly coming up with death like scenarios. She doesn't know what's going on right now as fear slowly crept up within her, making her whole body shiver.

All she remember was waking up in the morning to hang out with hide, not without her dose of coffee and her eye-patch; having to hide the fact she was a ghoul now, then after that she went home to finish reading 'The black goat's egg' before falling asleep in the soft comfort of her bed with her newly changed clothes, consisting of a simple white T-shirt, and black shorts. After that, well, she's here, now isn't she? Laying on this unknown hard surface with no blankets and a body that won't even cooperate with her. Just when she suffered enough from turning into a ghoul, guess fate doesn't like her at all.

The fear that trickled within her slowly twiddled down and she deeply inhales, finally calming down from her mental situation.

 _'Okay, deep breath, calm and steady. Just like in books, you can do this. Now open your eyes.'_

If there was one thing she regrets in her life, this would be one of it because as soon as she opens her eyes; the full force of brightness and pain made her snap her eyes shut, and a loud groan left her dry lips.

Laying still for a moment, she slowly urged her arms to move up towards her face; shading her eyes from the bright sunlight. Her tongue darting out to lick the rough skin of her bottom lips, before she willed her body to sit up from the ground she slept on; cringing at the burning sensation beneath the skin on the bottom of her back. Groaning, she leans forward and placed the palms of her hand on top her knee's, making sure to steady herself, before peeking from beneath her eyelids to see where she was.

"Huh...w-what?"

Right in front of her were kids playing soccer, kicking the ball around the field away from one another, seeing who could score the net first. Among them, were people walking along the sidewalks, chatting happily while some were walking their dogs, although some gave her some odd looks; seeing a girl looking scuffed up and basically (homeless) dirty looking, sitting on the ground near a bunch of kids. Apparently, she ended up in a park somewhere near her neighborhood, the park where she had first met, Hide.

How she ended up on the dirt ground instead of the soft cozy comfort of her bed, would be a question she wouldn't have no answer for.

Sighing, she forced herself to stand up, ignoring her screaming muscles that strained from the movement, and observed her surroundings. The walk from here to her apartment shouldn't be long, it would take her about 30 minutes until she reaches home, but, even so, she still wouldn't know who and why she was here. Maybe she sleeps walk to the park?

Shaking her head in exasperation at the thought, she took a deep breath and slowly raised her hand to touch the left side of her eye; missing the presence of her eye-patch. Biting the bottom her lips, she hurriedly started moving her legs to the direction to her apartment, away from the park.

 _'Crap, I better hurry before_ _ **it**_ _turns back again.'_

Not wanting to waste time, she pushes her legs to move faster into a small jog, passing by people as they move to the side, not wanting her to bump into them. Making sure to keep her head down, she turns down the right side of the street, and continued jogging, not seeing a familiar blonde headed boy ahead of her.

Before she knows it, she bumps into him, making the boy drop his phone with a loud curse from his lips.

 _ **"Ah! Shit!"**_

Hide Nagachika cursed, moving his body away from the impatient girl, and immediately crouched down to grab his phone; making sure to inspect it for any scratches and what not. Kaneki let out a small squeak, not looking up at the person she just bump into, and quickly bows down.

"I-I'm sorry, sir! But I'm in a rush, I can't stay for long. Gottagonowbye!" Her speech mumbles out at the end, and she turns herself around to continue jogging back to her assigned destination; leaving the dumbfounded blonde boy behind.

Standing in the middle of the sidewalk, the blonde raised his right hand to scratch his cheek.

"What the hell was that all about?" Hide mutters underneath his breath as he squints his eyes, watching the tip of girl black hair disappears around the corner of the street. For some unknown reason, he felt very familiar around her, but he doesn't know what. And as always, his feeling are never wrong, at least in some circumstances. A small downward tilt of his lips left Hide frowning as he looks away from the direction the girl ran.

'It was probably, nothing. Besides, I haven't seen her around before.' Hide feels himself shrug at the thought, before he continues walking towards his favorite restaurant, _'Big girls'_.

A soft smile painted onto the boy's lips, as he shoves his phone into the pockets of his jeans, and makes his way down the street, where people buzzed in and out of the Big girl's restaurant. A hint of nostalgic shown within the warm chocolate orbs, as it scans the front of the building, observing the people inside, laughing happily while eating the burgers, that his missing best friend so used to love.

"Kaneki...Buddy, where are you?" A sense of wistfulness combined with his whisper left the blonde feeling lonelier than he has felt, as he stood there in front of the restaurant, the soft smile soon returning into a dejected frown, "I miss you..."

Ever since that incident with Nishiki, his best friend hasn't been around lately all these months, leaving the blonde to miss his bookworm of a nerd. Also, the fact that Kaneki started hanging around Anteiku, left the blond feeling even more left out than he already is.

Sure, he's okay with Kaneki having new friends, in fact, he was happy for his buddy; glad that his friend is getting out of shell to see more people in his life than himself, but he hasn't even seen him for a long while, he didn't even get a single text back from him! And that's what frustrate the blond more than ever.

He knew something was going on when Kaneki was discharged from the hospital, Cause' after he was discharged, Hide took him out to eat at Big girl's, and he noted how his friend turned a bit green when he took a glance at his own burger, and he knows for sure that he didn't believe his friend when he said something was wrong with his food; the fact that he touched his chin, was all the blonde needed to see to know the bookworm was lying. And he may, or may not, eavesdrop on his conversation with the manager while he was pretending to be unconscious after that hit from Nishiki; Hide was not stupid to believe that they got in a car accident, and he knew that he's been kicked by their fellow classmate. Hide may act foolish, but he was not blind nor deaf.

Knowing that his friend was now a ghoul, the blonde decided to keep that information to himself until the bookworm spill the secret to him, but now that his friend had disappear somewhere, who knows-where, he's now having second thoughts about it. He wasn't gonna tell the CCG, about him, nor about the incident with Nishiki, Hide would die, before he'll ever tell the CCG on his best friend, and the people that are important to him.

If only his friend talk to him at least once, a text even, just to put the blonde's mind to rest at his well-being.

"Who am I kidding, maybe Kaneki doesn't like me anymore, probably found some ghoul girlfriend and eloped somewhere. Not that I'm complaining, the guy kinda needs to get laid." Hide chuckles to himself, before steering clear away from Big girl's, changing his mind on eating burgers for lunch, and started making his way back home to his new apartment.

After a month or two, the landlord of Kaneki's apartment took out all of his belongings out while the blonde went to visit. After seeing that, the blonde boy decided to rent the apartment, and told the landlord to take all the things back inside; wanting to protect his best friends stuff from being stolen or thrown in the trash. He took all of his own belongings from his old apartment and arranged it inside his new apartment, who knows, maybe his friend might come back home; it's the least that Hide could do for his friend while he is away.

Puffing out a breath, Hide tilted his head back to look up at the clear cerulean sky, absence of the white puffs of clouds that follows it.

"Please come back home, Kaneki."

* * *

 _The bad new_

 _is times flies._

 _The good news is_

 _You're the pilot._

* * *

A certain white-haired boy sneezed, as he lay on the bed inside one of the rooms in the Aogiri hideout. A familiar book created by, Sen Takatsuki, spread open on his lap, as his black-nailed fingers linger upon the pages; touching the printed words. The only thing calming him down from the sounds of clicking noises, and the crawling of centipedes running inside his head, a faint whisper of wanting to devour-

Kaneki grips the edge of the book, and snaps it shut, before the door of his room slammed open, announcing the entrance of a black rabbit.

"Oi, get up." A voice growls out, and a dark blue-haired teen strolled inside the room, with hands shoved in his pockets. Using his left leg, he kicked the door shut, and turns his head to glare at the passive boy, holding his book. "We got another task to do, shithead."

Calmly, Kaneki set his book down on top of the drawer next to the bed, before glancing at the teen with a blank stare, "What's the objection?"

"Tch, we got to go scout some hide out of some ghoul called, Lecher." Ayato grumbles out, his face scrunching up in disgust," Apparently, he's a S rank ghoul. Known for leeching on woman and luring them in. Aogiri wants to recruit him, but I'll say, the guy is probably shitty. Just like his name is.

A small upward tilt appear on the other male lips, as he sat up from his bed, and cracked the finger that lay next to the middle with his thumb.

 _Crack_

The blue-haired teen used all his will-power not to flinch at the sound.

"I'll be out, waiting. Don't take too long, shithead." Ayato hissed out and exited out of the room with a harsh slam of the door; leaving the white-haired boy alone.

The boy said nothing, standing up from the bed, and raising his lean muscled arms up in the air, stretching the strain muscles of his back that let out a loud satisfying pop that filled the isolated room, a small groan left his lips, before allowing the arms to fall back on his side. Licking his lips, he glances around the room at the gray colors, and the windowless walls. The image of his own apartment filled his thoughts, and he immediately shook his head; ignoring the longing feeling of his own home.

With long strides, he moved towards the table where his mask lies, and brush his fingers along the leather surface, before sliding his finger underneath it, and picking it up. Wordlessly, he slides the mask along his face, feeling the cold smooth fabric covering the bridge of his nose, and down. The eye-patch that connects to the mask covering the right side of his eye, leaving out his left; **the ghoul side.**

Standing there for a minute or two, he closes his eyes, the imagery of Hide, Hinami, Touka, and the rest of the Anteiku's employee's appearing within his mind, before his eyes snaps open. This time, filled with a goal he had set way, before he'd joined Aogiri. And with steady footsteps to the entrance, he grips the door handle and turns it, allowing himself to whisper one word, before he walks out of the room.

 _"For them."_

* * *

 _A goal without_

 _a plan is just_

 _a wish_.

* * *

 **And that's the end of chapter one. Don't worry, if you're wondering what the female version of Kaneki is doing, it'll be in the next chapter. And both of the male and female Kaneki will meet soon, so just stay tune for that one. And, also, thanks for reading! 3**

 **Have my uwu's.**

 **I also posted this story on Archive of Our own, So don't forget to check that out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Another chapter, here you go!~**

* * *

"What do you mean, my room has been taken?! I just paid the bills last week!"

The grumpy old woman only sneezed in front of her face.

A snot flowed out of the woman nose and landed on Kaneki's forehead; Her left eye twitched, and it took all her willpower not to jump over the desk to strangle the pig.

She was having a mid-life crisis right now! Not only did she just wake up in a middle of some damn park, but her home was not just stolen, it was sold too?! Also the fact that the lingering hunger that curb within her stomach churned, and she's trying her best not to let the ghoul side of her out of it's shell, ( The fact that the grumpy lady kinda looks tasty right now) ignoring it's urges.

With a strain smile, she grabs a tissue from the counter tops and wipes the snot from her forehead, before balling her fist around the piece of paper.

When running back to her apartment, she was surprised to find the door locked with the spare key gone; hidden underneath the rug, just in case for emergency like these. Usually, she'd keep the door unlock whenever she's home at least during the day.

Last time she locked the door, Hide had decided to pay her an unexpected visit while she was in bathroom, showering. When she didn't answer, he had broken down her doorway, screaming nonsense about kidnap and slavery, before seeing her exit out the bathroom with only a single towel covering the rest of her body. To say the least, that day Hide went home with a large bump on his head and two tampons stuck up his bleeding nose when she threw that hairbrush.

A week later was when she decided to keep the door unlock, seeing the event happening again when she was only sitting in the living room; reading her book. She was getting tired of having to pay the land owner for the fixed door.

Being here now, she was really wondering how the hell she ended up in the park if her door is locked, or did she locked it when she was sleep walking?

Shaking her head, she tried to twist the knob of the door once more using her strength, but it wouldn't budge. Hopeless, she ditched the door and headed straight for the apartment owner for some questions, and another spare key.

This is where she ended up now; Arguing with this old pig. She doesn't even consider this person a 'lady'.

Sighing, she tossed the tissue in a trash bin near the entry way, "Can you...at least tell me who's the new owner of the room?"

" The room is being owned by some kid name, Nagashiki or was it Nagakiki? Bah! All I know is that the kids last name started with an N." The grumpy old woman snorted, lips pulled up into a sneer, " Now, Get lost kid. I got more better things to do than deal with you."

With a flick of a wrist, the old coot shooed her away and continue counting her money that lay on the desk; ignoring the girl standing there with a slight irritated expression.

Sighing once more, Kaneki turns with the ball of her foot, making her way back to the direction she came from which was her used to be home. Kicking a piece of rock around, a small frown makes its way onto her face, and a depressing cloud forms above her head, as she arrives near her apartment room.

 _'Great, where am I supposed to go now? Why did I even come back? Maybe I should try and visit Hide...see if he'll let me stay for a bit at his plac-'_

A movement up ahead caught her eyes, causing her to snap her head up to catch a glimpse of a familiar blonde hair with a brown patch growing from the roots of it that belongs to a male, standing in front of her door. Not even getting a chance to think, she immediately ran up to them, raising her arm with a slight wave.

 _ **"Hey Hide!"**_

At the call of his name, Hide turns his head to see a black-haired girl, the one that had bumped into him along the sidewalk; running up at him with a huge grin on her face, waving her hand. His face turn into one of confusion when she stops right in front of him, smiling at him as if he was a friend of some sorts. He opens his mouth to ask who she was, but she cuts him off with a question that caught him off guard.

"Hey, Mind if I stay over at your house? Apparently, something happened to my apartment..." She scratched her cheeks, sheepishly and gave him a nervous smile; that looks so similar to a certain person he knows but decided not to think about it.

Feeling himself gaping, he snaps his mouth shut and tilted his head in confusion, staring at her with a keen expression.

Not knowing the storms of trouble that is about to come his way, he asks the girl the question that he wanted to ask when she decided to call him out.

Taking a deep breath, he calmly asks, _**"Who are you?"**_

* * *

 _I am Batman._

 _That's who I am,_

 _Who are you?_

* * *

 **Another chapter would be out either this week or next week! Thanks.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's a long chapter, hopefully you'll enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **"Who are you?"**_

The question echoes in Kaneki's mind and the only reply she could say was, "What?"

"I said, who are you?" Hide repeated, shifting himself so that he could properly face her, " I've never seen you around before. So, tell me, do I know you?"

"I-I... It's me Kaneki, remember? Come on, Hide. Don't joke around." She nervously laughs, hands finding themselves at the bottom of her T-shirt, and gripping it tightly. An unsettling feeling makes its way down her spine, but she ignores it in favor of staring into Hide eyes, searching for some recognition.

She could feel her stomach twist, when she doesn't see none.

"I'm sorry, but I really don't know you." Hide gave her an apologetic smile, shaking his head, "Names, Hideyoshi Nagachika. Maybe you have the wrong person, different last name? Although, you do have the same last name as my best friend, but he's a guy. Not a girl." He points out.

"B-But-"

"Do you need help finding your friend?" He chirps, cutting of the stuttering girl, "Even though I'm a bit weird out that he has the same first name as me."

"N-NO! I mean-No...I don't need help, are sure you're not joking? You don't...know me?" She breaths out, keeping herself from tittering at the end of her wits. She could feel her whole body shaking and Hide's worried stare. She prays hope her friend is joking, why would Hide not know her, when they just hanged out yesterday?

Although a certain voice in the back of her mind is telling her that it had something to do when she woke up outside and not at her home, but she pushed the thought back and focus on the situation in front of her.

Right now, she wants to scream, cry, and breakdown. If this was a joke, then this must be the cruelest joke she ever faced. And if this wasn't a joke...

She doesn't want to know what the outcome would be.

Hide, better be joking.

"I'm not joking." His voice laced with confusion and concern, as he continues to stare at her shaking form, " I really never seen you before. And I apologize if I do seem to look like your friend."

She knew he was saying the truth, the sincere in his voice, and his eyes showing no recognition. It was like...they never met.

Her arm reaches up to grip her front, balling the fabric in her hands, where her heart lays, beating.

 _'This is a joke, right?'_

She feels like laughing, but only a small wail came from her lips.

Hide is already turning away, thinking the girl was done chatting and wanted to head inside to rest for a bit. He couldn't stop the shaking feeling that something is about to happen. The girl was a bit queer, but he wasn't one to judge being a odd folk himself, although he could see that the girl has something more than meets the eyes. Being occupied by his thoughts, he doesn't notice the female vacant stare behind his back.

She sees him and he's walking away, from her. He's going to leave her alone, and she doesn't want to be alone. Not like before.

She opens her mouth to scream, yell and to tell him to come back, but all that escape was silence.

 _'Please, don't leave me alone.'_

She remembers saying, when she grips Hide's hand when they were little. It was the same sentence she had said when her mother left her at the park, but she could hear her mother always replying the same thing she had said, whenever she needed to leave.

 _'It's okay, Ken. I'll come back, I always do.'_

Her mother with genuine eyes and Hide with his cheerful smiles. Except, Hide came back, but her mother never did. She couldn't come back even if she tried, nobody can't come back from the direction, her mother has walked into. Nobody can't walk into death's claws and come back, especially not her.

Fighting the urge to scream, she settles for keeping her voice silent, and instead breath heavily.

Her knee's that were badly shaking, fell limp and her body slumps forward onto the ground, with both of her hands gripping her chest. Her once heavy breathing turned into loud gasps; and surge of burning sensation bloomed underneath the skin of her chest. Her vision blurred, and she could hear Hide's footsteps running towards her, yelling something she doesn't know, because the pain hurts so much.

Much worse than Rize's betrayal.

Her mouth opens and a silent cry falls from her lips. The vision of Hide's panicked face was the last thing she sees before her whole world turns dark.

* * *

 _Sometimes when I say_

 _"I'm okay",_

 _I want someone to look me in the eyes,_

 _hug me tight, and say,_

 _"I know you're not."_

* * *

If someone were to say to Hide, that a girl would fall for him the moment they see him. He would've laughed in their face. But judging from his situation right now...she did, literally.

Hide didn't know what to do with the girl in his arms. One moment he was having a conversation with her and the next she's on the ground, struggling to breath, before losing conscious. And for some unknown reason, it hurts. It hurts for him to see her like that and he doesn't know why. Maybe it's because she feels familiar to his lost friend, or maybe he just felt bad, because she's a girl. Either way, seeing her like that scared him, hurt him even, and he felt lost at words.

 _"Does she really know me?"_

The question hung silent in the air, and remain unanswered as he lay on the ground, holding the girl in his arms.

He knows what he had witness, the girl was hyperventilating, and for such thing to have cause that in front of him, must've been from fear, stress, or anxiety. And for that to be happening right now, he knows he must be the cause of it.

Shaking his head, he slides his right hand beneath the girl's knee and his left on her mid-back, before heaving her up into his arms, as he stands. Turning, he walks towards his apartment door and kicks it open; making his way to his room.

Laying the unconscious girl on his bed, he takes the blanket, and pulls it over her; making sure to keep her warm. Taking a deep breath, he walks out of his room, leaving the girl there, and make his way to the couch, before flopping on top of it.

'I need to think. I need to sleep.'

He tiredly thought, running a hand over his face. He felt frustrated and confused with himself, he knows something is not right about the girl that's sleeping in his room right now. The way she looked at him as if she knows him, and it was the same look _he_ gave him whenever they hung out. And Hide knows that it wasn't possible. It just wasn't.

"She can't be him. Kaneki's a guy. A he. Not a she." He mumbles to himself, scratching his cheeks. "But, her face...that expression, it looks just like _him_.

Shaking his head, Hide closes his eyes, " Nah, I'm just thinking things. Maybe when she wakes up, she can tell me what happened." the corner of his lips tilt upwards and he feels his bone-tired body catching up to him.

"Who knows, maybe we could be friends."

* * *

 _Friendship is a two-way street_

 _Not a one-way road._

* * *

Footsteps echoed the eerie hallways, and the sound of chains scrapped along the dirtied tiled floors, as a whimper left her lips. Grasping the edge of her ripped dress, she moves backward along the dark corners of the wall, making herself seem small in the dimly lit room; like a prey.

She hopes, he wouldn't find her. She tried everything, climbing, scratching, jumping in mud and dirt to hide her scent.

But he still finds her.

The lights flickering, before the door slammed open, announcing the arrival of her predator.

"There you are, darling. I've looking all over for you." The arrival purred, his voice loud in the dark planes of the room, before he steps inside. With chains hung along both of his wrists, the male's red pupils survey the room, before landing on his prey, who shook her head; pushing her back further into the wall, hoping it'll swallow her whole.

"D-Don't c-c-come near me! P-Please!" The woman cries out, trying to move away from the male that's stepping closer to her. He chuckles and licks his lips.

"No can do, my dear." His red pupil eyes pierce into her as he continues to move closer to her, "I'm quite hungry, and you're looking quite delicious, may I add."

Her back hits the wall and she realized she is trapped, and cornered like a prey she was, while her predator is stalking towards her. She didn't know this was gonna happen to her, she thought this was all a one-night stand. The male was handsome, and he seemed charming, the fact that the night was pleasant as well, but after that it all went downhill from there. Who knew he was a nightmare dressed as a daydream.

Shaking her head, she screams, "B-Back away! D-Don't h-hurt me! P-Please!"

The male was one foot away from her now, staring her down with a hungry gaze, as his tongue slips out to lick the corner of lips. Bending down, he lowers his head, until his mouth was next to her ears, before whispering, "I wonder, if you'll taste delicious, just how you look."

With that, he bites down on her neck, moaning at the taste of her flesh that graced his tongue. Consumed by his hunger, he continues to chew, bite, and swallow his meal; ignoring her screams. He eats until his prey stops moving, and her screams dies down, just as he chomps on the bloody heart in his hands. He licks his hands, sucking blood of his fingers, before turning his head to grin at the two standing figures behind him.

"Did you enjoy the show?" He purrs, standing up from the bloody mess of his meal, "I did it, just for you."

"Shut the fuck up, Lecher." Ayato growls out, grimacing at the blood leaking towards his boots, "We were sent by Tatara to get you. So, I suggest you start following us or else we'll make you."

"My, my, aren't you a bit too young to be cursing, young man?" The Lecher teased, walking up to the teen boy with his chains dragging along the floor. He slings his arms around the boy's shoulders, grinning like a Cheshire cat, "Don't worry, I'll come with ya'll. But first, any of guys want to eat? You can grab a bite over there."

"As if, I don't need your nasty leftovers, Lecher." Ayato scoffs, elbowing the ghoul in stomach. Smirking, as the man backs away, holding his abdomen with a pained expression.

"Ungrateful brat." The Lecher mumbles, before glancing at the other male, who's been silent the whole time.

"How 'bout you kid, wanna bite? You look like you haven't been eating." He gestures, taking note at the unsettling feelings he has around the white-haired boy.

Kaneki passively stares at the man, cracking his fingers silently, before his gaze turns down towards the bloody corpse.

"No, thank you."

"Fine, suit yourself then." The man snorted, walking past the duo, stopping at the entrance of the doorway.

"And, also..." Turning his head back, he smiles at the two, "Don't call me, Lecher. Call me, Kaito."

* * *

 _We're all_

 _Mad here._

* * *

A soft groan left her lips, and the sound of silence welcomes her whole being. Silver eyes peered beneath heavy eyelids, scanning the place, as she takes in the new setting. The familiar color of the walls, and a tall bookshelf near the corner of the room, looks just like the one in her apartment. Blinking, she sits up from the bed and yawns, feeling the sleepiness wearing off; and her body feeling more awake. Looking around, she realizes how very similar the room was to her own.

 _'Had everything been a dream?'_

She blissfully smiles, a bit of hope blooming inside her, as she slides out of the covers; her feet making contact with the cold tiled floor. Taking a deep breath, she scans the room once more, noticing a little change of the room, like how there was a basket of clothes near the door which she had never seen before, but she shrugs it off, thinking she had put it there or Hide had.

Making her way out of the room, she heads straight for the kitchen and quickly opens the cabinets, searching for the coffee mix. Seeing a bag in the corner of the cabinet, she reaches in and grabs it, before walking towards the coffee machine that lay on the kitchen counter. Pouring the water in the reservoir, she measures the coffee mix and puts it in the filter, before setting the heat.

Humming, she sits on the kitchen stool and waits, tapping her fingers along the hard-stone surface of the counter. Observing the kitchen, she notices a small yellow sticky note on the fridge, and stood up, walking towards it, curiously. Take the sticky note in her hands, she carefully reads it.

 _ **Hey, if you're reading this, then you must be awake.**_

 _ **You gave me quite a scare back there. So,**_

 _ **I decided to take you in and let you sleep on my bed.**_

 _ **Don't worry, I didn't do anything to you, honestly.**_

 _ **I needed to head out for a bit, since I got called to work.**_

 _ **I'll be back soon, we'll talk about what happened earlier.**_

 _ **For now, you can go ahead and eat something from the fridge.**_

 _ **I'm sure you must starving.**_

 _ **Hope to see you soon, strange girl.**_

 _ **-Hideyoshi Nagachika :)**_

She could feel herself smiling at the cute smiley face drawn next to the boy's name, before her face drops at the realization when she reads the whole note.

"So, it wasn't a dream after all..." She mumbles, putting the note back on the fridge and wrapping her arms around her chest, thinking about what she should do. As much as it pains her, she knows something is not right. Waking up outside of her home, was never unheard of, and the fact that her best friend doesn't even know her?

Sighing, she taps her chin, glancing along the walls at the pictures that hung among them. Her eyebrows furrows in confusion at a picture of a young black-haired boy with Hide, both smiling with the blonde's arms slung over the others shoulder, while the timid male hunched over holding a book in his hands. She doesn't know who the kid is, but he seems a bit like how she was, when she was young. Moving her gaze away from the photo, her eyes lands on the calendar that hung next to the picture.

 _November 8th_

Rubbing her eyes, she scans over the date once more.

 _November 8th_

"W-What...But, August just started yesterday!" She breathes out in shock, stepping away from the calendar. Her brain going hay-wired for a moment, traveling back to yesterday when she marked the date on her own calendar; the tiny little check mark she drew that marks the first day of August.

"Maybe, Hide put the wrong date, 'cause it can't be November already." She mutters underneath her breath, pacing back and forth in the kitchen with her right hand on her chin. "Unless...no, that's not possible."

"I can't be time traveling...am I?" She stops and stare up ahead at the wall. It was a ridiculous idea to be thinking of such things, but her being in a coma or sleep walking was out of the question, "But, that's not possible. Time traveling isn't real."

 _'But I once said ghouls weren't real, and now look what happened. They're definitely real, I'm an evidence of one.'_

Plopping down on the cold floor, she cradles her face into her hands, biting her lips from keeping herself from screaming. The hunger that she tried to ignore before, comes back ten-folds and her hands tighten their grip on the edge of her hair. The stress of all of this was getting to her, adding to the fact that she hasn't ate in a while was taking a toll and she knew she couldn't keep up to it long. Even if she were to have time travel, what can she do? What problem could she change if the place she has woken up in, isn't her own world anymore?

Sighing loudly, she stands up, having made up her mind on the topic of her thoughts. Taking her time, she roams around the whole area of the apartment, searching the rooms for an eye-patch of some sort, before finding one in a cabinet in the bathroom. Immediately putting it on, she walks back to the kitchen to pour herself some coffee.

Taking the mug, she gulps down the whole cup, relishing the hot feeling of the liquid washing down her throat, before her hunger was quenched for the time being. She knows a cup of coffee wouldn't be enough, the small drink could only do so much. Setting the cup down, her eyes glances out the window to see the sun setting, meaning that she must've been asleep for hours from her morning scenario.

That means Hide have been out of the house, hours ago at most, which gives her the time to probably think of a plan. Biting her lips, she looks down at the empty cup on the table.

 _'I need to go out. I need to eat.'_

Shaking her head, she crosses her arms above the table and shoves her face in-between them. She can't eat, she will never eat a human, not if her life depends on it.

 _'But, you're hungry. You can't control it. You'll eat Hide.'_

Her mind whispers, and as much as she wants to deny it, she knows it's true. If she doesn't devour someone, then the someone she will devour is Hide, and she doesn't want that. Hide was important to her, no matter if he's from her timeline or from another world, Hide is Hide. And probably her other-self would get pissed at her if she did try to hurt him; and she knows it.

Maybe, she should run away. If it were really true, that she has time traveled into the future of some sort, then what's the point of coming back? It wasn't like Hide would miss her anyways, he doesn't know her, he wasn't her Hide, and she wasn't his Kaneki.

She ignores the painful twist of her stomach at the reflected words.

It's about time she moves on and try to cope with herself. She thinks about the consequences of her denying the other side of herself, the ghoul side. As much as she wants to scream and flee from her dilemma, it'll only come right back to bite her on the ass. Like how she wondered off into a ghoul territory, because she was stupid enough to starve herself until oblivion. Or how she ran away from the scary chick that appeared out of nowhere to offer her a decapitated arm. She could feel herself gagging at the image of it.

The image of that arm being Hide's arm instead, brings her to a resolution of leaving. It is safer that way for him, and it'll keep him safe away from her or any type of ghoul that she'll mingles with in the future. She recalls herself once visiting a kind man by the name of, 'Yoshimura', who owns the shop where she once had met Rize, giving her an offer to take a job at Anteiku; the cafe known to ghouls. The kind old man gave her a brown package when he notices the torturous hunger in her eyes and tells her to come back once again if she ever needed help. Maybe she should start by going there first.

With a look of resolve, she stands up to walk into the bedroom, and searches Hide's closet. Pulling out a black sweat pants and a familiar blue hoodie, she slips it on, before looking in the mirror. For a moment, her eyes turned soft and took a nostalgic gleam to them, a tender smile gracing her lips at the reflection. She could see Hide standing behind her, his arms slinging across her shoulders with a wide grin on his face. Blinking, she schools her features and turns away to grab a pen, and sticky note from the drawer; not wanting to stay much longer than she already has. Gripping the pen tightly in her hand, she writes a quick note.

 _ **Hey, this is strange girl.**_

 _ **I decided to leave on my own will.**_

 _ **I don't want to burden you with my problems.**_

 _ **Maybe, we'll meet again and probably have coffee.**_

 _ **That would be nice...wouldn't it?**_

Tapping her chin with the pen, she takes a moment to think of a name for herself. Hide did say he had a friend that had the same name as her, but it was a male, probably the male boy she saw in the picture. Her gaze turns to looks at the photo once again, her brain registering, and realizing how very similar they both look to each other. It was like he was a male counterpart of her.

She wonders, where he is now and If he is like her...

Giving a small but sad smile, she continues to finish her note, before scanning it over for any mistakes. Humming in satisfaction at seeing none, she sets the note on the fridge, and makes her way to the door-way, gripping the handle.

Taking a deep breath, she twisted the knob and steps out into the city of Tokyo. Leaving the apartment with a heavy heart and a place she once called home. Only a small note left behind.

 _ **Hey, this is strange girl.**_

 _ **I decided to leave on my own will.**_

 _ **I don't want to burden you with my problems.**_

 _ **Maybe, we'll meet again and probably have coffee**_

 _ **at a small cafe, one day.**_

 _ **That would be nice...wouldn't it?**_

 _ **\- Kaneki Kuro**_

* * *

 _Maybe_

 _one day_

 _we will_

 _meet again_

 _& start_

 _all over._

* * *

"You pompous asshole!"

"I'm surprise you know such a word, Aya-chan."

"I'll kill you!"

Grey orbs peers at the bickering duo in front of him, watching as the cobalt blue haired boy jumps at the man, who backs away with a teasing smile on his face, hands on his hips, wiggling his buttocks at the boy. The boy let out a feral sound that comes across screaming and growling, before chasing after the man, leaving the white-haired male to follow silently with a hint of amusement flickering across his face.

The two males have been at it ever since they had left the warehouse, the other man being the teaser of sorts while the shorter one was provoked, leading to them bickering along the way. Not wanting to join in or be noticed, the white male kept silent, allowing them to argue and watch with keen interest, but also wanting to keep to himself as he thinks.

It's true to the man that he hadn't eaten, having to ignore his hunger for two weeks while doing missions, and scouting out the wards. But denying the man's offer was a settlements choice, once he had seen the way he killed that woman, hearing her screams was not a pleasant, and it sent him down the memory lane for a moment, before he glanced away from the scene.

He still wouldn't eat a human. At least, when they're alive, suicidal victims don't count.

So, he devours ghouls instead, ignoring the taste of rotten waste that washed down his throat, and keep eating until he is satisfied, or until his meal was clean to the bone. He even enjoys the looks of fear in their eyes as they realized they have fallen into a real monster, a monster that consumes them, their own kind, and he praise in that feeling of power. Which makes it all the more fun to target them instead, they always manage to give him a thrill of euphoria.

 _He wasn't born like them, was he?_

Maybe he should go hunting tonight, he hasn't eaten, and it was also his duty to scout the ward after they return from their mission. He could probably visit the book store to check out a new book, since he already finished his own collections of series, and grab a cup of coffee on his way there. It wasn't like there wasn't much to scout for, only a small group of ghouls here and there, scavenging for food. Those kinds of ghouls were the type to target individuals, which he eliminates them single-handed and feeds on them after.

Licking his lips, he gazes up at the appearing building of the Aogiri Hideout, stopping behind the duo who are now glaring at one another.

"Listen here, fuck head. You shut your mouth and listen to the leader once you're inside, then after that don't come near me anymore." Ayato hissed, grabbing the man's arm, and pushing him inside through the doorway; ignoring his complaints, while the ghouls who've been guarding the doorway moves aside. Nodding at the guards, he turns to his companion who's been mute throughout the whole mission.

"You can go scout out now, I'll handle the mission and talk with Tatara. Make sure you don't leave any pest in the wards once you come back." With that, he turns on his heels and enters the building, leaving the white-haired male alone at the entrance.

Wordlessly, Kaneki nods at the guards in acknowledgement before walking away from the hideout, not even glancing back. Why would he anyways, it was the organization who been torturing and mentally abusing him constantly, he finds that place revolting and uncomfortable, but he handles it, because he doesn't have a choice. It was either to join and get stronger, or stay where he endangers the ones he loves most, and it was pretty obvious which side he had chosen.

Taking his time, he jumps onto the roof of an abandoned building and stares out into the city of Tokyo, the lights illuminating the city as a whole making it glow beautifully, but he knows this city was far from beautiful. Beyond the beautiful lights, linger monsters hiding in every corner of the dark alley ways, waiting for their prey, hoping to devour and conquer their whole being. It was such a shame that such places holds many of these creatures, and it was such a shame for him to fallen for one as well.

 _A mistake he won't ever make again._

Grimacing, he stands from his crouching position and jumps up onto another roof, keeping a keen eye out at the alley ways for any ghouls that hides within the dark corners, or any passersby that are caught by them. From the corner of his vision, he sees a middle-aged man standing behind the alley wall, peeking out at a group of high school girls that have exited a small cafe and are making their way down the sidewalk towards the man direction. The man licks his lips and the eyes that were once human, have been turned over by dark sclera and red pupil's that are expanded wide in lust.

The group of girls that were once chatting happily with one another have now disbanded, heading into different directions leaving a lone brown-haired girl to walk the direction where the hungry predator lay, waiting; the street vacant except the girl and him. Just as she walks past the alley way, a hand grips her arm and the other slips over her mouth to muffle her screams, as they pull her into the dark. The hand that was gripping her arm was then gripping her neck in a choke hold, when two piercing crazy hungry eyes stares into her own, triggering the girl's fear to rise. She opens her mouth to scream, only for a breathless gasp to escape her lips, as she struggles against the man's grip; watching helplessly as he chuckles.

"You look delicious," Burying his nose underneath the girl's chin, he breathes in her scent, moaning as he does so, "And you smell so delicious too."

The girl only closed her eyes, shaking her head as her struggles ten-folded, wanting to get away from this creep as far as possible, but the grip on her neck was strong, and the more she moves, the tighter he squeezes, making it more difficult for her to breath. The ghoul watched her, amused by her efforts and futile actions, having seen many victims that attempted to escape his claws.

His stomach growled with hunger and he decided that it was enough playing around. Opening his jaws, he moves his head; ready to chomp onto the pulsing flesh beneath his hands, before a quick movement flew behind him.

A spasm of pain, and after that he knew no more.

The female in his hold ceased her struggle, feeling the grip on her lighten, and she opens her eyes only to feel a scream making its way up her throat. The hands around her neck slackens and the headless body in front her fall to the side; large amount of blood leaking on the ground towards a decapitated head that lay a couple feet away that was once the ghoul.

The girl shrieks in fear, her back hitting the wall behind her as she moves away from the dead body, her heart picking up it's pace at the sudden events that has been bestowed upon her. Scrambling to get on her feet, she grabs her phone to call the CCG, running away from the scene, never noticing the lone dark figure above that watches her, as a flash of red disappears.

Apathetic grey eyes glances down at the headless corpse, Kaneki's kagune now dormant within his body once he sliced the ghoul's head off. Seeing that the job is done, he jumps away from the scene. As much as he wants to devour the dead body, the girl has called the CCG, and staying there would only cause trouble if they see him, especially eating the dead ghoul; for a dead meat, it wasn't worth it.

Sighing, he continues to travel from building to building, observing his surroundings in case if another similar incident happens, making sure to keep his eyes out for any dangerous ghouls that are a huge threat to the organization. Traveling and scouting for hours, he stops to drop down in an alleyway that was near a familiar bookstore, one that he visited a lot when he was a student.

Dusting himself, he makes his way out of the alley way and towards the bookstore, patting his pockets to make sure he had brought his wallet. A nostalgic feeling makes it way up his spine as his gaze lands on the shop, the warm glow that shines out the window, revealing the many bookshelves filled to the brim with books. A soft tender smile makes it way onto his lips, and he enters the shop; the warmth breeze brushing against his cheeks once he opens the entrance door.

The man behind the counter greeted him and he nods back, walking along the isle, taking his time to search for an interesting story he could read. After a couple minutes or so, he finds a book that intrigued him, a story about a tragic character who meets one that suffered the same as the him. The ending was a mystery, one that was not a happy ending nor a sad one. Holding the book, he walks back to the counter to make his purchase, thanking the man once he was handed his book in a bag, before exiting the shop with a small wave to the cashier.

Walking down the sidewalk with his newly bought book and the street vacant of people, Kaneki checks the clock on his phone, deciding that he has time for a small trip to a cafe before he could return to the hideout. Shoving his phone back into his pockets, he turns his body to the direction towards the nearest cafe until a piercing scream echoes from an alley way across the street, catching his attention.

His head snaps up to see a ghoul with his kagune out, cornering a black-haired girl who held her abdomen, crawling back from the creature in front of her. A Ukaku. Cursing beneath his breath, he immediately makes his way towards them, stopping behind the ghoul.

"I suggest you stop." He drops his bag, staring passively at the ghoul who had now turn to the new arrival that has interrupted his meal. A hand raised as his thumb cracks a finger, "Before you'll regret it."

The ghoul hissed at him, "What is it to you? Get your own meal!"

"I won't repeat myself, step back." He calmly stares at the ghoul, who returns it to him with a piercing glare.

"To hell I will! Don't tell me what to do you mutt!" With that the ghoul leaps, Ukaku spread out as crystallized shards shoots out at him, but having been experiencing this before, Kaneki dodges them all with his newfound agility.

Feeling his own kagune forming, he shoots out a red tentacle to slam into the wall behind the ghoul, attaching the organ to it, before diving away from the barrage of crystals. Using the kagune that was attached to the wall, he pulled himself towards it, using his foot to land on the brick surface, using it as a leverage. Turning, he pushed himself forward using the wall as a speed momentum, kagune free from its latch onto the wall and is now point straight forward towards the ghoul; who's eyes are now wide at the speeding figure that's heading straight towards him.

Not having enough time to dive out of the way, the ghoul coughed out blood once the single kagune pierced through the mid-section of his chest, his body pushed backward to hit the ground, creating a small crater underneath him from the strength of it. The owner of the kagune landing a few feet away from his fallen body in front of the shocked girl, who had been silent from the whole ordeal.

Seeing the body going limp, Kaneki allows his kagune to slip free from the dying man, before it withdrawn leaving a small trail of crimson lingering in its wake.

Nose twitching, an alluring scent made him turn his head to glance at the girl, who was staring at the dead body, hands still gripping her abdomen; which was stained red, probably with her blood. His eyes travel toward the red liquid that drips down the knuckles of her hands, and he stops himself from going over there to lick it, wanting to taste the blood that smells just as appealing as it is. It was a unique scent he had never smelled before and for some reason it was tempting him, but he kicks himself at the thought of consuming her-plus he haven't eaten so he could blame it on his hunger for such thoughts.

Clearing his throat, he stares down at the girl, "Are you alright?"

The black-haired girl who'd been speechless from the whole event, looks up at him and he could feel something caught in his throat once their eyes met.

Silver orbs clashing with grey.

* * *

 _And then_

 _ **I met you.**_

* * *

 **Author note:**

 **Phew! That was a 6k word chapter that I just created.**

 **I'll get the next chapter out in about 2 weeks, so consider this as a Halloween treat! ^^**

 **I also post this story on Archive of our own, so check that out once you have time! Thank you.**


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